So it turns out that while President Obama was able to overcome years of indifference and get Osama bin Laden, he missed everyone else. As with so many things, incompetence would appear to be the administration's best defense.

The confab was outdoors and a video shows the boys in a happy, rambunctious mood. It's something like a terrorists' Jazzfest, which would be a Jazzfest without any music, delicious food or pretty women.

The bad guys, including al Qaeda's No. 2, the pious killer Nasir al-Wuhayshi, are embracing warmly and just having a fine time generally.

When I saw CNN show this Tuesday evening, the report said the Obama administration either was clueless about the big event, or chose not to crash the party with a strike from drones or cruise missiles or whatever other lethal devices the U.S. military could throw at them.

One must hope no one gave a red light to such an operation. Again, the best possible spin is all our people and all our expensive gadgets provided no clue.

Reassuringly, however, the CNN website post lets people know "every frame of the video is now being analyzed by the United States." U.S. officials have adopted a brave "no comment" stance, but at least we know they're on it.